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Deadly Attacks in Israel Kill Settlers
Aired July 26, 2002 - 13:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A deadly attack in the Middle East today, with Israeli settlers killed. It happened in Hebron, in the West Bank.
CNN's Chris Burns joins us live now with the latest details on this -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we have some fresh pictures to show you from the scene of the attacks. There were two attacks about 2 1/2 miles apart on an Israeli settlers' road the Israelis had built into the West Bank, leading to Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
This attack happening early this evening. According to Jewish settlers, they say that a carload of Palestinian gunmen attacked each car. In the first car, there were three people killed, the mother, the father, and son. In the second car, one person was killed. The injured, there are two injured, one seriously.
Israeli Defense Forces have gone after. They say they are searching for these Palestinian militant gunmen. According to Israeli military sources, the Palestinian village of Yatta has been locked down. There is a curfew there as Israeli forces sweep through that village trying to find those militants.
No claim of responsibility, but this comes in the wake of the Monday night attack by Israel against -- in Gaza, in the Gaza Strip, that killed the chief of the military, militant arm of the Hamas militant group. His name Salah Shehade. But along with Shehade died 14 civilian, including nine children, 150 people injured.
And that being also the reason why these militant groups have promised revenge. They promise a series of attacks. There have been a number of them in recent days; however, this is definitely the bloodiest so far -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Chris, what can you tell us about this area of Yatta?
BURNS: The area of Yatta and also near this Jewish settlement of Carmel, this is near the Palestinian town of Hebron. Hebron has also been locked down. It's one of the seven of eight main cities on the West Bank that have been locked down by Israeli forces in their month- old operation Determined Path. That aged at trying to prevent any more militant attacks, suicide bombings, and other attacks against Israelis within Israel proper and on the West Bank.
But there have been repeated attacks in recent days. So Israeli forces are trying to go after these militants. No word yet whether they've found them yet -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Chris, when you say these cities have been locked down, what exactly do you mean by that?
BURNS: Israeli forces have gone into those towns with tanks and other vehicles, they have imposed curfews, this affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. They had started to ease some of those curfews, but the forces are very much in control of those cities. There had been talks last week, as late as last week, about Israeli forces pulling out of Hebron and Bethlehem, possibly even Ramallah, as a confidence-building move, if the Palestinian Authority would ensure that they could guarantee security in those towns. All that appears to be on hold in wake of recent militant attacks, and also because of that Israeli attack in Gaza -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Our Chris Burns with the latest on the two attacks there in the Middle East today. Chris, thank you.
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